John Rodgers competed in the men’s welterweight boxing at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, winning his opening bout before being outclassed by Anatoly Khokhlov of the USSR.

From Lisburn, Rodgers was a late addition to the Munich squad when Jim McCourt – one of Ireland’s greatest ever amateur boxers, with 496 contests and only 22 losses – refused to participate in the collective training programme organised by the IABA and was not selected.

Rodgers outpointed Denmark’s Ib Bøtcher in the opening round but was then outclassed by the cool, skilful and technically excellent Soviet Khokhlov.